It finally happened, the big record deal. And the record company wants you in L.A. in a week to begin recording your new album. Exciting, but the pressure is on. Everything has to be just right.

Anderson guitars? Check! You’re good.

But what about the album itself? You need to be able to put all those songs you have in your head, and the ones you have rocked the house with, to tape, while keeping the feel alive. The texture, layering and overlapping of all the guitar tones have to be stellar.

The producer knows someone…someone who can help add the flavors needed for the studio…someone with the perfect touch that will breathe life into the songs in all the right places without overshadowing. He is the best!

“What is his name?” you ask. “Let’s get him!”

His name is Tim Pierce—and he is one of the top (if not the top) go-to guitar players on the L.A. studio scene. He has played on so many huge albums that you almost cannot name a major star that he has not played with. They all know him and they all love him for not only is he one of the most talented and tasty guitar players to ever grace this planet but he is also one of the nicest and easiest to work with. Tim is the guy to call for everyone who wants their record to pop! In fact, he just finished up work on the new Rod Stewart album in early April.

Tim stopped by the shop to have routine maintenance preformed on his Drop Top. (Sorry—I couldn’t resist that rhyme.) We had a chance to chat—and play. Good times.

Tim actually has two Andersons, which are his main guitars that he plays on almost every session—one is an Alder, Classic and the other a Maple Topped, Basswood-backed, Drop Top Classic. Both are painted with only a satin finish. Working with his Andersons hours everyday, he doesn’t like to worry about dings on a gloss finish. When I asked him which his favorite was he replied, “I don’t know, I like them both. My favorite is the one I am playing at the time.” He has had these two for a long time. He ordered them when Floyd Rose was king but they sound so good, so rich and so vintage that there is no reason to change. And since the Floyd-style setup offers the most tremolo versatility (which is key for his requirements) and unparalleled tuning integrity, he is a happy man. This is Floyd done right!

In the past, his guitars were equipped with a Single/Single/Hum pickup setup, but in the last few years Tim has opted for a full set of our hum-canceling single-coil sized pickups. He asked for our recommendation and we threw in a set of SD1, SD1R and SD2 because that is what we were using at the time, and he loved them.

On to other matters.

Tim spoke of his amp rig. He always plugs through real tube amps because he feels that the complexity and beauty of a distorted guitar amp has yet to be captured anyway but by playing the real stuff.

With that as his foundation, Tim runs an impressive 7-amp system. Remember, versatility is the name of the game for him, so don’t feel like you are lacking if you only play through one or two. Tim has a duplicate of every amp he takes with him. He leaves one full setup in his studio and travels with the other.

All of this is switched through one Marshall 4x12 cabinet which—in his studio at least—is housed in a sound-proof locker that is big enough to dissipate moving air. This way he can play “jet engine loud” without disrupting the world of those around him.

Yes, Tim is an amazing Tom Anderson Guitar player and a really nice guy. The perfect combination.